“Nay, not you, Tommy. It warn’t my legs as run away with me, it was me as run away with my legs from them black-looking tar-swabs, and I’m ashamed on it, that I am. Now, then, what have you got to say to that?”
“Nothin’ at all, Billy,” said Smith. “But just look, she’s shutting her mouth again.”
“Who is?” said Wriggs, staring about. “I can’t see no she’s here.”
“Old mother earth, arter trying to swaller that lot o’ niggers, only they was too quick for her.”
There, plainly enough as he spoke, was the opening, but it was closing more rapidly now, and a minute later the two sides touched after a violent hissing noise, while one edge was several inches above the other, marking where the rift had been.
“Ready?” said Oliver just then.
Panton rose to his feet, and, shouldering their guns, the little party marched steadily back toward the brig, which they reached without adventure soon after dark, the latter part of their way having been guided by a lantern hoisted right up to the main truck for their benefit.
“Take that light down at once,” were Oliver’s first words as he climbed the side.
“Well, yes, I was going to take it down,” said Mr Rimmer, “but it did you some good, didn’t it?”
Oliver explained the reason, for there had been no alarm of savages at the brig.